Snowflakes and Névé

• What do snowflakes do to air?

  They trap air
• How is Névé created?

  Snow settles on top of each other and compresses to eventually become firm and compact
• Where is Névé more likely to build up?

  In North facing ledges or hollows as they receive the least sun
• What happens to Névé in the Alps?

  Meltwater percolates into the névé and freezes, causing an increasingly dense mass
• How is true ice formed?

  Air is progressively squeezed out of the névé, and eventually after 20-40 years, it will have turned into true ice
• What is Pressure Melting Point?

  Small increases of pressure can cause ice to melt, therefore as you go further down in a glacier, ice is more likely to melt due to the pressure of the weight of ice on top of it